Rapper Nas raising money to help Stanley Young

WASHINGTON (WJLA) - After seeing a report on ABC7, rapper Nas is helping a single father of eight kids get back on his feet. He has started a donation page for the Young family whose home was destroyed by a fire -- they must vacate the hotel they are staying in on August 13.

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It was raw emotion from a father down on his luck that struck a chord with the celebrity rapper.

"Thank you to ABC for putting this on our radar so we know about this,” said Nas to ABC7's Jenny Doren in a phone interview from Japan. “We just knew we had to do something."

That “something” is now inching towards $50,000 for the eight kids who lost their mother one year ago. Their father, an unemployed construction worker, is desperate for a permanent roof over their heads.

"So many people just came out of nowhere and put out money and we were blown away," said Stanley Young.

"I'm grateful to Stanley,' continued Nas. "He's the true American dream. A man who would do whatever it takes to take care of his kids. I'm the same way and I just think he's great."

It’s a surprising display of kindness for a stranger and his children.

"Out of nowhere a random guy just came out and called my dad -- in some ways it kind of felt like it was a miracle," said 11-year-old Camille Young.

"It's been surprising how much they did within a couple of hours," said Stanley. "That is so amazing to me. It's overwhelming."

The musician was visiting D.C. when he saw Hatzel Vela's report on Stanley Young. Touched by the family's plight, Nas launched an online campaign to raise money for the Youngs. Visit the Crowdtilt fundraising page where you can donate.

"He don't have to do what he had to do,” Young says of Nas. "People, strangers I don't even know, never met before in my life, are helping and that's amazing."

Nas wrote of the Young family:

I am also a single father, and we don't get enough credit in this country....I believe and hope that we should all, as a community, come together to help our fellow American men and women when they need us in desperate situations like this.